When your senior parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s shocking. It may take some time for both of you to process the diagnosis and start to plan for the future. But one of the first things that you should do after your senior parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is start Alzheimer’s care at home. Even if your senior parent’s symptoms are very mild, starting Alzheimer’s care right away can have big benefits for them. Some of the reasons why seniors who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s should start Alzheimer’s care immediately are:
Caregiver Bonding
By starting Alzheimer’s care right away your senior parent will start to form a bond with their care provider. That bond can help your senior parent recognize the caregiver later on when the symptoms start to become severe. Your senior parent may not remember who the caregiver is in the future, but they will know that they know that person and trust them.
Support for Daily Living Activities
Alzheimer’s often impacts an individual’s ability to perform daily living activities such as dressing, bathing, and meal preparation even in the early stages. Starting Alzheimer’s care at home right away means that your senior parent will have someone with them who can provide the support they need as their capabilities change.
Cognitive Stimulation Through Activities
A trained caregiver can help your senior parent hang onto their cognitive skills for as long as possible. By encouraging your senior parent to engage in structured programs and activities designed to stimulate cognitive function a care provider can help your senior parent maintain their cognitive, spatial, and living skills. Caregivers can do puzzles, play word games, play music, and encourage your senior parent to do all kinds of activities that are good for their brains and their spirits.
Emotional and Psychological Support
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can be emotionally challenging for both the individual and their loved ones. Early Alzheimer’s care includes emotional and psychological support, providing seniors with coping strategies and tools to navigate the emotional aspects of the disease. With support from a caregiver trained in providing Alzheimer’s care, both you and your senior parent can work through your feelings about this life event and figure out how to move forward with positivity.
Safety At Home
Seniors who have Alzheimer’s have a higher risk of getting hurt at home. Even in the early stages seniors with Alzheimer’s may do things like leave the burner on the stove turned on, forget to turn off the sink, make the bath water too hot and burn themselves, or put themselves in danger in other ways. Having a care provider in the home all the time is the best way to protect your senior parent from danger.
Seniors with Alzheimer’s thrive on routine and consistency. Removing them from the home where all their memories are and where they are comfortable and feel secure isn’t recommended. A care giver can help your senior parent stay safe while keeping their routines intact and making it possible for them to stay in the home where they are happy.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Alzheimer’s care in Danville, CA, please contact the caring staff at Provident Care Home Care today at (209) 578-1210.
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